Puig makes history in massive tennis boilover

Monica Puig is Puerto Rico's first-ever gold medal winner, beating Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber in the women's tennis final.

The 22-year-old overcame Kerber in a tense three-setter, taking out the match 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.

What a champion! Image: Getty

Victory for Puig came in a dramatic seventh game of the final set when she saved six break points before taking gold on a fourth match point when a Kerber forehand sailed wide.

The victory for the world No.34 is only her country's ninth medal at a Games and maiden gold.

"But I'm doing it more for my country. The Olympics isn't about me, it's about Puerto Rico and I know how bad they want this.

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"The island is full of such bad news all the time, so every time there's a Games and somebody from the Island wins a medal everything stops and I know how happy people get. So this one is not for me."

The US territory of Puerto Rico is buried under some $70 billion in debt.

There is also a growing concern over the Zika virus which has been spreading fast.

Puig is the first tennis player from Puerto Rico to win a tennis medal at the Games.

The island's athletes have claimed six bronze and two in silver. The first six of the eight medals were all in boxing.

The incredible win comes a day after Joseph Schooling beat Michael Phelps to claim Singapore's first-ever gold, and two days after Fiji won their first-ever medal - also gold - in the men's rugby sevens.

with AFP